George Killian's Irish Red | Coors Brewing Company (Molson-Coors)

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Reviews by RoninBirdman:

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Dad was a beer drinker. He was easy to buy for: beer. We'd always get him something interesting for his birthday like Tsing Tao or something with a strange name. This was one of his favorite beers. When he discovered this, he raved about it. At his 60th birthday party, he had a keg of this. That was a good party.

As the name suggests, this has a reddish tint in its color. It's a great lager, and it has a wide appeal. Sophisticated beer snobs won't look down their noses at it, and less experienced beer drinkers will love it. It's perfect for a birthday party. Times have changed, and our favorite beers of yesteryear just can't compete with today's full flavored beers, but this is still great stuff.

Appearance  Yes, this one is light red in color with brownish tints and it is very clear and shiny. The good head dissipated rather quickly.

Smell  The light American grain and ultra-light citrusy hops gave this one a distinctly US Euro Lager aroma. The malts were nice and toasty though and there wasnt anything offensive in there, which is saying a lot.

Taste  The toasty malts actually come out pretty decent at the taste. The light hopping makes it to the tongue as well. Not bad.

A: Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass. Nice clear ruddy color. Minimal to no head with zero lacing. Did I mention it had nice color?

S: Not real impressed with the smell. To be honest, I would have been hard pressed to distinguish this from any other macro lager.

T: A little disappointing. Was expecting something more flavorful and a touch of sweet malts similar to other reds. Instead it was much like other macro lagers. Not bad. Not great.

M&D: Mouthfeel was about average. The carbonation present in the brew was rather light, albeit consistent. This in and of itself isn't bad but there wasn't much else there to bring up the mouthfeel at all. I don't know if this is something I would ever ask for again but I wouldn't turn down a free one if offered.

[Please note: Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), discovered in 1931, "has the unusual property that it either tastes (salty), very bitter, or is virtually tasteless, depending on the genetic makeup of the taster" and the threshhold of the chemical's concentration and potency. "The ability to taste PTC is a dominant genetic trait, and the test to determine PTC sensitivity is commonly used in genetic tests on humans" and other primates. "The genetic correlation was so strong that it was used in paternity tests before the advent of DNA matching. "One study has found that non-smokers and those not habituated to coffee or tea have a statistically higher percentage of tasting PTC than the general population", which implies that many people who smoke tobacco and drink coffee cannot readily detect PTC and related compounds. PTC "does not occur in food, but related chemicals do", which accounts for our choices in food and drink. I am unable to taste PTC at all in low to moderately high concentrations. PTC is toxic in very high concentrations. "In 1976, a remarkable inverse relationship between taster status for PTC and for a bitter component of the fruit of the tree Antidesma bunius was discovered. Antidesma bunius is a species of fruit tree native to Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Its common names include Queensland-cherry, wild cherry, and currant tree." The fruit is edible and is commonly processed into a jam for consumption.] With the aforementioned information in mind, an affinity for one beer over another is unavoidable, almost genetic, so "to each his own" beer and opinion. Again, I have a very high threshold for PTC and related compounds.

When it comes to beer, I happen to have enjoyed Ba Moui Ba, a Vietnamese beer preserved with .01% formaldehyde. I also enjoyed German wheat beer (weizenbier), those containing yeast (hefeweizen), and the dark beer (dunklebier). I have very fond memories from my U.S.Air Force days spent in Colorado of Coors unpasturized. MillerCoors Icehouse is still very palatable to me. However, my all time favorite, either with food or all on its own, is the Coors "George Killian's" Irish Red beer. It is the only beer I have ever tasted that did not offend my palate, even while consuming food. I routinely stock other brands for guests, but I prefer "GK" to any other beer on the market. It may seem that I have a Coors "hang-up", but I assure you that I had no idea that Coors produced "GK" until I researched "GK" today. Other beer products taste bitter to me and leave an aftertaste.

I have consumed copious amounts of various foreign and domestic brewery products in my lifetime; especially during my career in the US Air Force from 1968-1972, the Canadian Forces (Reserve) 1980-1984, and the US Army from 1984-1998. I have spent twelve years in Canada, five years in Germany, two years in Korea, and a year in Viet-Nam, in addition to my years in the continental US, sampling beer. I do not usually drink more than two bottles or cans at one sitting. (No, that's not because I have to empty my bladder after every two beers and change seats at the bar upon returning.) I have not been thoroughly intoxicated since I had an OD on rum and cola in 1969. I view drinking alcoholic beverages as relaxing, pleasant, and even enjoyable. George Killian's Irish Red is my first choice, and if an establishment does not stock it I frequently order tonic water or I go elsewhere.

Irish beer! Hah! This is what I would drink in my early years of college when I was trying to branch out from all of the "Bud Light" drinkers and whatnot. Though Killian's isn't what I'd consider "good" beer, I still consider it to be far better than many American Adjunct Lagers, and I still feel that way today.

On tap at Applebee's, it pours a deep orange color that bleeds with some red tints and rust near the edges. The slightly darker than white head doesn't stick around for long and leaves no lace behind. The aroma is solemn and hard to deceipher; maybe some toasted caramel malts, cereal grains, and a slight twinge of metallic, barely musty hoppage. Not much there, but it's not exactly off-putting, either.

The same thing could be said about the taste. There's a slightly brash bitterness that hits up front and takes the rest of the time to mellow out. Lightly toasted malts, some apple skins, mild hop flavor, and just a touch of sweetness in the finish. Again, not much going on here, but nothing is really making me head for the hills either. Thin bodied, over-carbonated a bit, crisp, clean and dry mouth feel in the finish.

This is more like a case of "where is it" than "what is it". Nothing that really stands out as being gross or offensive, rather everything is pretty muzzled and flavor/aroma-less. Not something I'd normally order, but when your other choices are Coors Light and Summer Shandy... well, desperate times call for desperate measures.

My brother in-law had some of these. This is his version of a craft beer, so I wanted to give it a fair shake.

A: Clear red amber color. Off white finger head that was fine bubbles and dissipated quickly to a ring. Plenty of visible carbonation.

S: Very basic stuff. A dash of malt - a touch of hop.

T: Like a macro - designed to be non-offensive. Too subtle caramel malt and very low hop profile.

M: Clean and crisp - good amount of carbonation. Body was light and felt thin at times.

D: I'd fall back to this brew before drinking the average crap they serve in bars. It's pretty easy to drink. It's ridiculously subtle - just doesn't deliver any lasting impression. A bit watery at times.

This doesn’t pretend to be anything less than a no-frills, easy-drinking lager. The brand has been somewhat reincarnated by recipe and packaging. The labeling is a bit more focused, and the beer seems to have a bit more life to it compared to its former self.

This was one of the first beers I tried other than Coors, Bud and Mickeys back in the day and I must say it has not aged as well as I thought it would. It poured a nice reddish orange color with a suprisingly nice head that left lace down to the last drop. The taste had slight hop and malt flavors but was killed by a sickening sweetness that nearly ruined it for me. Not one that I will ever pay for again.